Islam's holiest sites emptied by coronavirus crisis as Ramadan begins
25 April, 2020
The holy month of Ramadan started on Friday with Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem largely empty of worshipers as the coronavirus crisis forced authorities to impose unprecedented restrictions.
During Ramadan, Muslims around the world join their own families to break the fast at sunset and head to mosques to pray. However the pandemic has changed priorities, with curbs on large gatherings for prayers and public iftars, or meals to break the fast.
In a rare occurrence in Islam's 1,400-year history, Mecca's Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina - the religion's two holiest spots - will be closed to the public through the fasting period.
Prayers from inside mosque at Mecca on the first evening of Ramadan on Thursday were limited to clerics, security staff and cleaners, in a ceremony broadcast go on television.
In comments marking the beginning of Ramadan, King Salman, who's the Custodian of both Holy Mosques, lamented the need for social distancing during the holy month.
"It pains me to welcome the glorious month of Ramadan under circumstances that forbid us from prayers in mosques," he said, in line with the official Saudi Press Agency.
"It doesn't feel very special this year, we don't feel any Ramadan vibes," said Sarah, a mother-of-two in Riyadh.
At a near-empty Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, an imam called out the first Friday prayers of Ramadan across a windswept plateau almost devoid of worshipers.
A small number of clerics in face masks knelt below the pulpit, keeping several feet apart to adhere to coronavirus restrictions.
"We ask God to have mercy on us and most of humanity and save us from this lethal pandemic," the imam said.
Ramadan typically draws thousands of Muslims daily to the mosque and the adjoining Dome of the Rock. Worshipers will instead need to watch prayers on television.
Asian outbreaks
Governments in Parts of asia with large Muslim populations urged persons to keep their distance while observing Ramadan.
Early outbreaks in Asia, home to numerous of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, were traced in some instances to pilgrims returning from Iran and Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan and Pakistan, or even to gatherings of Islamic groups in India and Malaysia.
"Just like whenever we fast, we should struggle and fight our desires," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address to his country, among the hardest hit by the virus in Southeast Asia.
On Thursday, his government extended curbs on movement until May 12, cancelled popular evening bazaars and banned attendance at mosque prayers together with travel back to people's hometowns.
In Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population and Asia's highest coronavirus toll outside China, President Joko Widodo urged people to work and pray in the home.
On the island of Java, Tatan Agustustani, 52, and his family were clearing furniture to make method for prayer mats.
"It is the same in the mosque or in the home," said Agustustani. "For me personally, no matter where we are, prayers must continue, even though we can not pray in the mosque."
But that message appeared lost in Indonesia's sharia-ruled province of Aceh, as worshipers crowded into a mosque on the eve of Ramadan.
Some said their fate had not been in their hands, although some wore masks because they prearranged shoulder-to-shoulder to pray.
"In our belief, it really is God who decides whenever we will die," said one devotee, Taufik Kelana. "But we will remain alert, like wearing a mask."
Some easing
In South Asia, Ramadan is expected to start out on Saturday.
Leaders of India's 160 million Muslims have urged persons to heed the nationwide lockdown throughout the month.
Numerous infections there were associated with a religious gathering of a Sunni missionary group. The Tablighi Jamaat event in mid-March drew participants from across India, neighboring Bangladesh and even Indonesia and Malaysia.
The All India Islamic Center of religious teaching will livestream recitations from the Koran, the Muslim holy book, every evening.
"This is the easiest way to pray to Allah and keep everyone safe," said its chairman, Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali.
Doctors in Pakistan come to mind by the government's decision to lift curbs on mosque congregations for Ramadan.
Bangladesh has ordered mosques to restrict Ramadan evening prayers to 12 people and banned iftar gatherings, while Sri Lanka has closed mosques.
In Algeria, authorities shortened a night curfew and lifted a complete lockdown in a province near the capital Algiers to accommodate Ramadan worship.
The Nigerien capital Niamey was calm but police and military remained out in effect following violent protests against a curfew and closing of mosques.
"I invite you to have significantly more patience because patience may be the feature of the Muslim believer," Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said within an address to the country.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com
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